Article for CBC Newsletter

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
  He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

                   Psalm 121:1-2

I memorized the first two verses of this psalm faster than any other verse I have ever memorized, except, of course, for “Jesus wept.” John 11:35.  That verse, should be indelibly written in every believer’s heart simply for the ease of memorization!  But, I digress.  How many of you have the first two verses (Psalm 121:1-2) memorized because of Casting Crowns’ song “Praise You in This Storm?”  The first time I heard that song I was in my car, and I held still, with tears in my eyes, breathless at the absolute worship evident in every lyric of that song.

There are a few elements about this song that I feel absolutely inspired (and daresay instructional!) for the Christian life.  This song uses scripture, directly and indirectly, lifted from the Bible.  The music directly reflects the urgency of the prayer.  And, lastly, it is honest.  Let’s take a closer look.

One of my absolute musts in leading worship in church is making sure that the lyrics reflect Scripture.  This is important for a variety of reasons, but mainly because every time our hearts are exposed to God’s Word, it hammers away at sin that remains in our lives.  “Praise You in This Storm” uses Psalm 121 as a starting point, directly quoting the first two verses in the bridge.  The bridge repeats these verses again, making it impossible for those words to not take root in the listener’s mind.  The chorus grant a further insight into Psalm 121; “You are who you are, no matter where I am.”  When I go back to study the Psalm, I realize that idea is woven through each verse, and I find it so comforting.

The worship team can attest to this, but my next favorite element in worship songs is how the music correlates to the words.  I love it when the music underlines it by sounding like what we are singing!  An example of this is “Our God” by Chris Tomlin.  The instrumentation pounds behind the lyrics, much like a battering ram pounding on a door.  I love that song because it reminds me that God’s doors cannot be broken down, and that we remain safe in God’s stronghold.  “Praise You in This Storm” does something similar, but not quite as obvious.  The music intensifies, and the beat gets stronger and stronger, I recognize that as the desperation behind the prayer.  The writer sees what is going on around him, and he is calling out, desperately, with urgency, for God to answer him. 

The third element is the writer’s honesty.  He so openly pours out his heart to God in the verses, using scripture, and at the same time, submits himself to God’s sovereignty.  It is such a beautiful example of prayer.  I find myself taking a lesson in how I communicate with our Savior.

In truth, I could go on and on, but there is a space allotment, and I will have to stop.  If you don’t know this song, I urge you to find it and listen to it.  And, if you have your own song that touches you like this song touches me, please find me and share it!  I am always looking, searching, for music that can spiritually bring me to my knees.

Project 1-2-3

Okay, I am finally returning to my project post.  I have been working really hard on implementing some of Plowman's ideas on parenting and have seen some improvement in our house.  Plowman's basic premise is that you can teach a child to behave outwardly, but if you haven't reached the child's heart, you have failed.  She uses a story about a little boy being asked to sit down, and after much cajoling and threats, he sits, but says that he is still standing on the inside.  The story is funny until you ponder the implications.  I have two very different little girls, and I have already seen evidence of little seeds of resentment taking hold in my oldest child when she feels that she has been treated unfairly.  I have watched my youngest thrust her chin the the air in direct defiance (honestly, it just doesn't seem possible at her young age, but Patrick and I witness it again and again!).  The Bible, after telling children to honor their parents, cautions parents to not exasperate their children (Eph. 6:4).  It goes on to say that we are to bring them up in the instruction of the Lord.  Plowman put this verse into perspective for me.  She states that when we discipline children without showing them a way out, we are exasperating.  For example, today, Alaina told me there had been a problem at preschool.  The conversation followed like this:

"What was the problem, Alaina?"
"somebody pushed."
I, very seriously, asked "Were you the one that pushed?"
"No!" (She was indignant)  "It was [name of child]."
I then asked, "Who did he push?"
"Me."
"Was he upset with you?"
"No, he just wanted to get past me."
"What happened to [name of child]?"
"He got a time-out."
(Here is the important part!)  "What should have [name of child] done instead of pushing you?"
Alaina answered, "He should have said 'excuse me.'"

This is the most recent example, and it wasn't my child, though I could write about a million blog posts on examples relating directly to her!  But the important part is still the same.  Plowman says that parents not only should identify the wrong, or sinful behavior, but teach the child what should have been done instead.  She describes this as "reproofing" and "encouraging."  The reproofing involves "taking off" a bad behavior, and the encouraging is showing the child how to put on a good behavior.  The Lord promises us that he will not bring a temptation into our lives that we cannot bear up under, and that He will always show us a way out (1 Cor. 10:12-14).  When we, as parents, don't show our children a way out, we exasperate them.

Now, back to the example.  One of the things I am happy about today is that I used a series of what Plowman calls "heart-probing questions" to get to the bottom of the preschool problem.  She indicates that it is far more important for a parent to know where their child is coming from than for their child to know where the parent is coming from.  So, I am happy about using those questions to teach Alaina to think like a Christian.  Unfortunately, I didn't meet the mark on following through.  What I should have done, after establishing how the other child should have behaved, was ask Alaina about forgiveness.  I should have followed up by asking her heart questions on whether or not she forgave [name of child] for pushing her.  And then I could have used that conversation as an opportunity to share the gospel.  So, I still have some work to do.  Right now, I am happy with the current progress.  I will keep updating as we go along.  I highly recommend Ginger Plowman's book, Don't Make Me Count to Three! 

Ezekiel

I am reading in Ezekiel, and I will be honest, I have some trouble with the prophets of the Old Testament.  Although I understand that God would not have included these accounts if they weren't valuable, occasionally (especially at 6:30 in the morning) I have trouble seeing the application to my life.  Yesterday I felt like I experienced a little transcendental understanding, at least for my stubborn soul.  Specifically, I was reading Ezekiel 11-15.  In these chapters, per usual, everyone was being condemned for their faithlessness.  Again.  Sitting in my recliner in my cozy living room, I am feeling a little irritated with these Israelites.  For heaven's sake, they are already in captivity in Babylon because they lost track of who God is.  And now, they are falling into the same traps.  Different city, same people, same story.  And then I started to get it.  


The fall of man is played out over and over and over again in the Bible.  God creates a paradise for Adam and Eve.  They sin.  Now they are in unfamiliar territory, outside of the garden.  This story repeats itself continually up until Christ's coming.  Noah builds himself a boat and sails out of familiar and plunges into unfamiliar.  Literally.  Abraham picks up his walking stick and makes a trek away from what he knows into something only promised.  And the Israelites.  Goodness.  It feels like they never stop moving.  God fulfills the promise to Abraham, only to have the Israelites sin and leave familiar behind again and again.  And, here we are.  We are believers, Christians.  We really can't claim a familiar at all, or we shouldn't.  We are in our unfamiliar.  And it is here that God calls us to obedience, in our Babylon.  


So back to Ezekiel, with the stubborn Israelites.  I realized that when everything is stripped away, and when we allow ourselves to see God's black and white, there really are only two ways that bring about our fall.  False prophets and idolatry.  And, yet again, that comes directly back to Eden.  False prophet, the serpent.  The snake tempted Eve by telling her what she wanted to hear.  The very thing Ezekiel condemns in chapter 13.  The prophets lulled the people into a sense of self-assurance, or in Biblical terms, complacency.  The people did know best, they should just trust what their hearts are telling them.  And then, idolatry.  Adam and Eve found the Tree of Knowledge to be a little more important that day than their Heavenly Father, and thus created an idol.  


I feel like when you look at it that specifically, it becomes so paramount to really, really guard your ears.  Eve's downfall, followed by countless others in the Bible, came because she listened to God-less advice.  She allowed it to worm its way in and take up residence.  Those words took up so much space in her heart (the wellspring of her life) that it shoved out her love for God.  And then her attention turned somewhere else.  Something else that would make her happier, like the snake promised.  


Are we any different?  The Israelites certainly weren't.  They surrounded themselves with prophets that only spoke lies.  But the lies made them feel good.  Then, when their love of God was shoved enough to the side, they replaced God with various items/people/statues/whatever.  And then, committed sins against God that they would never have imagined committing.  Ezekiel compares their faithlessness to famous evil cities, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and declares Israel's sin worse!  And the truth is, their sins probably weren't worse.  It was that the Israelites KNEW BETTER, and that makes it worse.  They knew their history.  They knew how Eve fell.  They had seen God directly and indirectly intervene generation after generation.
   
WE have seen God move, generation after generation.  We know our history.  We KNOW BETTER.  Who are we listening to?  And are those words creating more space in our heart to follow our Lord and obey?  Or are those words shoving God out?  If those words are shoving God to the side, our next step will be idolatry. It is never any different.  Today, I am spending some time reflecting on what in my life I have allowed to become more important than my Heavenly Father, and what I am listening to that allows the idolatry to take place.  I am in the unfamiliar, in my Babylon, surrounded by false prophets.  And I want, no, need, only to obey.

I Needed a Project...

Clearly, you may have noticed that I have not posted for awhile.  This is due to a variety of reasons, but the the reason with the most clout is that I need a project to write!  There are far too many paths to take for my little brain- I have trouble deciding which one I want to pursue.  I feel like this explains quite a bit of my day, actually.  Anyway, my bible study group decided to do a parenting study this fall based on the book Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman.  This is a bit of a departure for us, we really like Beth Moore (who doesn't?!!), but I am so excited about some of the principles she is setting forth in her book.  What she is talking about is doable- but it feels idealistic.  I have decided to blog about my experiences in implementing her parenting ideas.
So, anyway, just announcing it so that I remain committed!  More to come...

With the Harp I will Expound my Riddle....

It has been awhile since my last post- it would appear that July is just one of those crazy, hectic months!  I officially started my new job as the Music Coordinator at Berean Church, and it is going really well.  It isn't without challenges and there is a gigantic learning curve, but I am blessed to have two amazing mentors that are so willing to counsel me and talk through ideas.  The article below is something I needed to write for our monthly/quarterly (I'm not sure how often it comes out...) church newsletter.  It is supposed to be a picture of what I think is important about worship, why I am passionate about it, and how I am going to encourage the congregation.  I love talking about worship and hearing new ideas, so if you have something to comment, I would love to hear it!  

“My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:”

Psalm 49:3-4 (NIV)

I love this Psalm- I think it explains exactly what I love about worship.  First and foremost, you can clearly see that music was part of the Israelite’s worship in the Old Testament. It isn’t something we have developed over the years until we are where we are today.  It is a sanctioned form of praise from the Father himself.  When the temple was constructed by Solomon in Jerusalem, God speaks specifically to the Levites who had musical talent, and had them form groups for leading worship.  Since the Levites lived all over Israel, they were divided into groups, each taking a month to live in Jerusalem and work in the temple:

All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king.  Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD—they numbered 288.  Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties. 2 Chronicles 25: 6-8 (NIV)

  My friends, when we sing on Sunday morning, we are taking part in a form of worship instituted by God himself! In this passage, God speaks directly to this aspect of our church service.  The musicians were mentored (I mentor the team, and I also have mentors, including Will and Travis), the musicians and the instruments were to be used for ministry (worship music is a ministry!), and the musicians were trained and skilled.  They pursued excellence.   I am so excited to be a part of it- and to have the privilege of leading the worship team.  I am absolutely passionate about leading others to experience God through song.  We love music because God loves music- and we are made in His image. 

The second reason that I love the Psalm above is the reason why I think David wrote it.  When he had trouble understanding what God was asking, or a Scripture, he turned to music to gain insight.  We do this today.  When we want to memorize something, we use a catchy tune- like the ABC’s.  I want to incorporate what David teaches us, that is my goal on Sunday mornings.  I want our music to be so filled with Scripture that you are memorizing it and writing it on your heart because you are singing it for the rest of the week.  When music is chosen for Sunday mornings, it should solve the biggest “riddle” our world faces.  We will expound the “riddle” of our salvation.  When each person leaves Berean after a service, I want the music to have given them a full picture of our God, our Savior, and the Spirit who delights to live within us.

Head of the House

I have reached 2 Chronicles in my Bible journey, and the last three books have been an account of the leadership of Israel and Judah.  It goes a little like this:  Bad king/judgement for the people.  Good king:  blessings on the people.  Sometimes the king experienced the consequences of a wrong decision, but for the most part, the people suffer.  For example, David took a census of his people because he wanted to see how strong his nation was- he lost sight of who gives victories (God).  David realized his mistake and sought forgiveness from God.  It was freely granted, but the consequences of his behavior were already set in motion.  God allowed him to choose what consequence would be exacted against Israel, and a plague killed many Israelites.  David, however, kept his life.  There are many life lessons to be drawn from this little piece of history, but the one that has my attention is the responsibility of leadership.
I think it goes without saying that when you lead people you carry a heavy burden of responsibility.  Greatness always trickles down from the top.  We see this in our presidency.  If something goes wrong in our nation, we look to the president to take wise action to fix it.  In the same breath, if something is worth celebrating, we thank our president for his quick thinking or smart planning.  It is the same for companies and schools- people look to the CEO or the principal- not the accountants and teachers.  Not that teachers and accountants don't have roles to fill within that framework, but when there is a problem, you look to the top.  Everywhere I look, I see people placing blame squarely on the shoulders of who is in charge- and if that person is at all worth their leadership position, they accept that blame and take responsibility for what has happened.
So why don't we see this in our own families?  Patrick and I have been discussing this at length, and we are firm believers in the "Man of the House."  We believe it is how God designed a family to function.  And we have also discussed that when there is a conflict within our family, it is on Patrick's shoulders.  I am starting to finally get to my point, which is really about the relationship between parents and their children.  Patrick and I believe that as parents, we are the CEOs.  We are responsible for what happens in our family.  We are responsible for setting the dynamic and maintaining that dynamic.  For life.  We will always be the parents, and Alaina and Lia will always be our children.  Of course, as they age, the dynamic will have to change, and we will be responsible for adjusting the settings on our family life.  What my parents have taught me is that the burden or responsibility for creating the opportunity for relationship resides within the parents.  In reality, it isn't much different than a king leading a nation, it is just a far more intimate setting.
Father, grant us the wisdom of Solomon to manage such a task- and the grace to accept the blame when things are wrong and need repair.

Conflict

So, Patrick and I are in the midst of a conflict that we really wish was not happening.  I truly believe that the real crux of the issue has more to do with a difference in beliefs than anything else.  Patrick and I are believers, but those we are in conflict with are not.  This presents quite the problem!  I think as Christians, we don't stop to think about how the Holy Spirit works in us- and allows us to see things that otherwise we wouldn't see- and know things we otherwise wouldn't know.  One of the problems that Patrick and I have discussed at length is that the people we are in conflict with hear what we say, but don't listen or understand.  They think they get it, but they are completely missing it!  How can you explain that?  Until I found this verse last night:

"Go to this people and say,
'You will be ever hearing but never understanding:
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'"
Acts 28:  26-27

Paul spoke these words to the Jews, because although a lot of them lived in Jesus' time, they didn't get it.  Their hearts were hard, and to admit that they needed God's grace would be to admit fault.  Sounds very familiar to me... And Paul said he was going to focus on the Gentiles, because they were ready to receive Christ.

I have to say, being in conflict with unbelievers might be one of the most difficult situations in life.  We can't avoid it (as you may have guessed, it is family) but we don't know how to solve it!  Thankfully, we serve a God that is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever even imagine.  I know that He can work through all things to accomplish His will.  This morning, I was reading in 2 Kings.  My study bible was discussing Elisha's miracles- and how some where great- but some were very, very small- like removing poison from a stew so that all could eat of it and not be sick.  The note on this subject said this:

"Elisha's mighty miracles showed that God controls not only great armies, but also events in everyday life.  When we listen to and obey God, he shows us his power to transform any situation.  God's care is for all who are willing to follow him.  He can perform miracles in our lives."
Life Application Study Bible NIV, p 603

Patrick and I are waiting for a miracle!  We know that the Lord can solve this problem and any problem, and we are hopeful that this conflict will lead these people to Christ and His forgiveness.

One other small thing that I noticed in my readings in Acts- has to do with conflict and how we can get so wrapped up in our own problems we lose sight of reality.  When Paul was being persecuted for following The Way, the Jews said "this is the man who is causing riots and stirring up trouble all over the world!"  All over the world??  They were in the Middle East and the Mediterranean!  Hardly the scope of the globe.  Obviously, I know they lacked the knowledge that we have now about our universe, but even they knew that the world extended beyond the Roman Empire.  But isn't that true?!  When we are upset, we tend to bring the world down to our own sphere, our own set of problems.  When we do that, we are unable to see that God is bigger than our problems, bigger than the world.  It was a good reminder to me to remember that my conflict is not world-wide, it is just happening right here.  My God is bigger than this, and able to handle this conflict and all of the other ones happening across the globe.  What a comfort.